Runaway success: Temple Run 2 downloaded 20 million times in first four days

Temple Run 2 has certainly caught the imagination of iOS gamers, with creator Imangi Studios announcing Monday the action game has now been downloaded a colossal 20 million times since its release just four days ago.

After the success of the first Temple Run – which has so far been downloaded 170 million times since its launch in August 2011 – the speedy take-up of the sequel won’t come as too much of a surprise to fans of the endless runner game.

Word evidently got out about the launch of Temple Run 2 pretty darn quickly, taking the top spot in the iOS free-app chart after just eight hours and clocking up six million downloads in its first 24 hours.

“The response from fans has been overwhelming,” Imangi Studios’ co-founder Keith Shepherd said. “We are thrilled players want more of the Temple Run universe, and we hope to grow and expand the game over the coming months.”

Indeed, it seems players want so much of the Temple Run universe that they’re more than happy to dig into their pockets for some of its in-app offerings – the game is currently sitting pretty in third place in the top-grossing-apps chart.

According to stats from Imangi Studios, Temple Run 2 has so far been played over 210 million times, amounting to a combined total of over 1,775 years of gameplay. Whichever way you look at it, that’s a long time spent playing a game.

The sequel features improved graphics, new environments and more moves, so besides running, sliding and jumping, you can now swing on a rope and ride in a mine cart too.